PLAINVIEW, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 12, 2013-- Veeco Instruments Inc. (Nasdaq: VECO) announced today that the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, a leading institution in the field of compound semiconductor research in Freiburg, Germany, has purchased a
GEN200® Molecular Beam Epitaxy system
. The MBE system will be used for research and development of various antimonide and arsenide-based III-V optoelectronic devices.

According to Dr. Martin Walther, Head of Infrared Detectors Business Unit at Fraunhofer IAF, “We have been working with Veeco for more than a decade, and have had very good experiences with the existing Veeco MBE systems in our facility. Thus we decided in favor of Veeco’s fully automated production MBE systems as demand for epitaxial layers for antimonide based III-V optoelectronics has increased.”

Jim Northup, Vice President, General Manager of Veeco’s MBE Operations, commented, “This new purchase extends our longstanding collaborative relationship with Fraunhofer IAF, one of the world’s top research facilities in the field of III-V semiconductors. Our GEN200 is known for its lowest cost 4x4” epiwafer growth and it is the ideal tool to support Fraunhofer IAF’s expansion in growth services.”

About the GEN200 MBE System

The GEN200 is the most cost-effective and highest capacity multi-4” production MBE system in the market today. The system delivers superior throughput, long campaigns and excellent wafer quality in growing GaAs or InP-based wafers for such devices as pump lasers, VCSELs and HBTs. For more information please visit
www.veeco.com/GEN200
.

About the Fraunhofer IAF

The Fraunhofer IAF develops electrical and optical devices based on compound semiconductors. The Institute was founded in 1957 and is one of the world’s leading research facilities in the field of III-V semiconductors. Fraunhofer IAF employs over 280 people in an entire spectrum of areas: from analysis of materials and design to the realization of modules and systems. The technologies of the Fraunhofer IAF are used in various fields of application, like security, energy, communication, health and mobility. The Institute has approximately 170 partners in industry and research. For more information please visit
http://www.iaf.fraunhofer.de/en.html

About Veeco

Veeco’s process equipment solutions enable the manufacture of LEDs, power electronics, hard drives, MEMS and wireless chips. We are the market leader in MOCVD, MBE, Ion Beam and other advanced thin film process technologies. Our high performance systems drive innovation in energy efficiency, consumer electronics and network storage and allow our customers to maximize productivity and achieve lower cost of ownership. For information on our company, products and worldwide service and support, please visit
www.veeco.com
.

To the extent that this news release discusses expectations or otherwise makes statements about the future, such statements are forward-looking and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include the risks discussed in the Business Description and Management's Discussion and Analysis sections of Veeco's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and in our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and press releases. Veeco does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances after the date of such statements.